Magnetic device for connecting hauling lines to a barge

ABSTRACT

Connected to each end of a supporting member are means for connecting that member to barge hauling lines. Suspended below the supporting member are electromagnetic means positioned to rest on the deck of a barge for magnetically attaching the supporting member to it. The opposite ends of the supporting member may be provided with recesses for receiving the barge bitts to limit sliding of the magnetic means along the deck.

United States Patent Sabina 1 Dec. 25, 1973 MAGNETIC DEVICE FOR CONNECTING HAULING LINES TO A BARGE William E. Sabina, Sewickley, Pa.

Heyl & Patterson, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.

Filed: Jan. 24, 1973 Appl. No: 326,246

Inventor:

Assignee:

US. Cl 335/289, 254/147, 254/150 Int. Cl. l-l0lf 7/20 Field of Search 335/289, 290, 291;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1962 Pletta 254/147 X 3,653,706 4/1972 Kashiwago et a] 294/655 Primary ExaminerGeorge Harris Att0rneyTh0mas H. Murray et al.

[57] ABSTRACT Connected to each end of a supporting member are means for connecting that member to barge hauling lines. Suspended below the supporting member are electromagnetic means positioned to rest on the deck of a barge for magnetically attaching the supporting member to it. The opposite ends of the supporting member may be provided with recesses for receiving the barge bitts to limit sliding of the magnetic means along the deck.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED DEC 25 I975 sum 2 m 3 PMENTEnuEmSmzs 3.781.734

SHEET 3 OF 3 l ll ll MAGNETIC DEVICE FOR CONNECTING HAULHNG LINES TO A BARGE When barges carrying bulk cargo are being unloaded, each barge is shuttled back and forth along the unloading dock in order to prevent damage to the barge or even its capsizing. To accomplish this shuttling of a barge, force and aft barge haul lines are connected to the deck bitts, which are short posts extending upwardly from the deck at opposite ends of the barge. The lines are wound on motor-driven drums stationed on land. In order to attach the lines to the bitts it is necessary for a man to walk onto the barge, and later he must return to disconnect the lines so that the barge can be cast off, These operations are sometimes dangerous for the man and, furthermore, they are slow procedures.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a device for temporarily connecting barge haul lines to a floating barge, which does not require a man to be on the barge to make such connections, which can be operated entirely from the shore, which can be very quickly attached to or disconnected from a barge, and which is simple in construction and easy to use.

THE DRAWINGS The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. I is a diagrammatic plan view of a barge at an unloading dock;

FIG. 2 is an elevation looking toward the shore from the water;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the device for con necting the haul lines to the barge;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line lV-IV of FIG. 3; and

FIG. is an end view of the connecting device.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a barge l is shown floating in water beside an unloading clock 2, on which there is unloading equipment (not shown) for removing the bulk contents of the barge. There also are motors 3 and drums 4 driven by them, with one end of fore and aft barge haul lines 5 wound on the drums. These lines are shown extending in opposite directions away from the dock and across sheaves 7 mounted on top of piles ti and then around sheaves 9 similarly mounted on piles it) and back to one end of the barge, where they are connected by the device that forms the subject of this invention. The flat decks at the opposite ends of the barge are provided with the usual pairs of bitts Ill; those in each pair being spaced lengthwise of the barge.

It is a feature of this invention that a new system is used for connecting the barge haul lines to the barge so that it can be moved back and forth along the unloading dock. Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a connecting device has a body formed from a supporting member 13, the opposite ends of which are connected to the outer ends of the two hauling lines as shown in FIGS. l and 2. Preferably, the supporting member is a heavy plate 14 having downwardly extending side flanges 15. To the opposite ends of this plate, near the side flanges, short chains 116 are connected by vertical pins 17. The outer ends of each pair of chains are connected to a bar 18, to the center of which a clevis i9 is pivotally connected. The clevis extends through a loop in the end of the adjoining barge haul line.

Suspended from supporting member 13 are electromagnetic means, by which it can be magnetically attached to the deck of the barge between a pair of bitts. For best results, the electromagnetic means consist of a pair of parallel elongated electromagnetic members or bars 22, each of which is disposed beneath one of the side flanges 15 of plate 14. These bars extend lengthwise of the flanges and are pivotally connected to them on a common transverse axis, preferably midway between their ends. This can be done by providing each bar with an upwardly extending lug 23 that fits in a bifurcated bracket 24 secured to the overlying flange as best shown in FIG. 5. A bolt 25 extending through the bracket and lug serves as a pivot pin. Electric wires 26 are connected to the two electromagnets and merge into a cable 27 (FIGS. l and 2) that extends to a reel 28 mounted in a suitable location, such as on one of the piles next to the dock. At the reel, the end of the cable is connected in any suitable manner to a source of electricity (not shown) for energizing the magnets. This is under the control of the operator of the barge haul lines.

OPERATION After a barge has been moved into position along side the unloading dock, the drums 4- are operated to move the supporting member 13, which connects the haul lines, into a position above the space between a pair of the barge bitts adjacent the dock. The lines are then slacked off to lower the connecting device between the bitts until the electromagnets rest on the deck, whereupon the magnets are energized to clamp them to the deck. The pivotal connections between the magnet bars and the supporting member will compensate for any irregularities in the deck and allow both magnets to seat flat upon it. When it is time to move the barge ahead during the unloading operation, the leading haul line is pulled by its drum as the trailing line is slacked off. Supporting member 13 will tilt on pivots 25 to line itself up as far as possible with the sloping line that is pulling it. Although the magnetic attraction of the connecting device to the barge may be sufficient to prevent it from sliding along the deck, the chances are that in most cases it will slide, but it will be stopped by engagement of the leading end of plate 14 with the bitt ahead of it and then will push against that bitt to move the barge.

To hold the magnetic device in position better against bitt, the ends of plate 14 preferably are provided with inwardly extending recesses 30 to receive the bitts, as shown in FIG. 3. Of course, only the recess at the leading end of the plate will fit around a bitt, although the other bitt may extend part way into the other recess, depending upon the length of the plate and the spacing of the bitts. The curvature of the wall of each recess is made to conform to a bitt, but since barges have bitts of different diameters it is desirable to provide for good fits against at least two-different sizes of bitts by providing the wall of the recess with sections having different radii. Thus, the inner portion of a recess may have one radius and the remaining wall of the recess have a greater radius to fit around larger bit as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. When it is desired to reverse the direction of movement of the barge, the magnetic device is pulled in the opposite direction and then its formerly trailing recess becomes its leading recess and will engage the other bitt if the electromagnets slide along the deck.

It also is desirable to provide recesses 30 with inclined side walls that flare upwardly anddownwardly. Thus, a curved and sloping side wall 31 is welded to the top of plate 14 along the edge of each of its recesses, and a like wall 32 is welded to the bottom of the plate directly below the upper wall. These inclined side walls can serve somewhat like funnels to help guide the magnetic device down over a bitt and to help prevent the device from catching on the head of the bitt when the device is raised.

After a barge has been shuttled backand forth by this magnetic connecting device until it has been unloaded, the power to the electromagnets is cut off and the trailing haul line is reeled in to lift the device away from the deck and from between the bitts. It will therefore be seen that it is unnecessary for a' man to go onto the barge, either to connect the haul lines to the bitts or to release them from the bitts. This eliminates one of the hazards of unloading barges, and it also makes the connecting of the haul lines to the bitts and the disconnecting of them therefrom much quicker and easier than before, which is an obvious advantage.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, 1 have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

l claim:

1. A magnetic device for temporarily connecting barge haul lines to a floating barge, comprising a supporting member, means connected to each end of said member for connecting it to barge haul lines, and electromagnetic means disposed below said supporting member and suspended therefrom in position to rest on the deck of a barge for magnetically attaching said device thereto.

2. A magnetic device according to claim 1, in which said supporting member is provided with an opening for receiving a barge bitt.

3. A magnetic device according to claim 2, in which said opening is an inwardly extending recess in an end of said supporting member.

4. A magnetic device according to claim 3, in which the side wall of said recess is shaped to fit bitts of at least two different diameters.

' 5. A magnetic device according to claim 3, in which there is one of said recesses in each end of said supporting member.

6. A magnetic device according to claim 5, in which said supporting member includes a plate provided in its ends with said recesses and having downwardly extending side flanges, and means pivotally connecting said electromagnetic means to said flanges on a transverse axis substantially midway between the ends of said plate.

7. A magnetic device according to claim 6, including side walls secured to the walls of said recesses and extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom.

8. A magnetic device according to claim 1, in which said electromagnetic means include two electromagnets extending lengthwise of said supporting member at opposite sides thereof.

9. A magnetic device according to claim 8, in which said electromagnets are pivotally connected to said supporting memberon a common transverse axis.

10. A magnetic device according to claim 6, in which said electromagnetic means include two elongated electromagnets extending lengthwise of said flanges with said pivotal connecting means having a common axis of rotation. 

1. A magnetic device for temporarily connecting barge haul lines to a floating barge, comprising a supporting member, means connected to each end of said member for connecting it to barge haul lines, and electromagnetic means disposed below said supporting member and suspended therefrom in position to rest on the deck of a barge for magnetically attaching said device thereto.
 2. A magnetic device according to claim 1, in which said supporting member is provided with an opening for receiving a barge bitt.
 3. A magnetic device according to claim 2, in which said opening is an inwardly extending recess in an end of said supporting member.
 4. A magnetic device according to claim 3, in which the side wall of said recess is shaped to fit bitts of at least two different diameters.
 5. A magnetic device according to claim 3, in which there is one of said recesses in each end of said supporting member.
 6. A magnetic device according to claim 5, in which said supporting member includes a plate provided in its ends with said recesses and having downwardly extending side flanges, and means pivotally connecting said electromagnetic means to said flanges on a transverse axis substantially midway between the ends of said plate.
 7. A magnetic device according to claim 6, including side walls secured to the walls of said recesses and extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom.
 8. A magnetic device according to claim 1, in which said electromagnetic means include two electromagnets extending lengthwise of said supporting member at opposite sides thereof.
 9. A magnetic device according to claim 8, in which said electromagnets are pivotally connected to said supporting member on a common transverse axis.
 10. A magnetic device according to claim 6, in which said electromagnetic means include two elongated electromagnets extending lengthwise of said flanges with said pivotal connecting means having a common axis of rotation. 